Milliner benched to help confidence

Summary of 4 articles · Updated Sep 20, 2013

Milliner was benched in the second half of the 13-10 loss, and played just 37 snaps. The Jets benched Dee Milliner last Thursday against the Patriots to prevent him from losing confidence, according to Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman. Milliner w… (more)as also called out during the preseason by Rex Ryan for not being aggressive enough in coverage. But Milliner has struggled to adapt a little so far, which is not uncommon for such a demanding position. Milliner was picked on throughout the first half, and was beaten badly on a ball that was caught by Kenbrell Thompkins for an apparent 25-yard score, yet later reversed to an incompletion after video review. Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman admitted they were afraid the Patriots were going to target the rookie cornerback before he was pulled last Thursday, and that there were concerns about what that would do to his confidence. “It was just that the situation for us called for, ‘OK, they’re getting ready to take some shots at this kid.’ Rather than have him in a situation where he could get himself deflated, we decided to make a move and get a more experienced guy in there.”

Dennis Thurman gives his reasons for benching Milliner

Dee Milliner was notably pulled from the Jets second half against the Patriots, to which Ryan said after the game that he wanted to give the rookie a chance to watch and learn. In an interview Thursday with the press pool, defensive coordinator Dennis T…

Jets benched Milliner to keep Pats from crushing his spirit

The Jets gave first-round pick Dee Milliner a starting job from the moment he walked in the door. Then they took it away from him, because they’re hoping he is able to get it back and keep it for the long haul. Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman …